


Rise and shine

by ItFeelsLikeTheEnd



Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Childhood Memories, M/M, Romance, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 19:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10556854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItFeelsLikeTheEnd/pseuds/ItFeelsLikeTheEnd
Summary: Zero is really happy with Jude by his side and he wants to let him know more about himself and his childhood...





	

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my mother tongue, so I apologize for the mistakes!!  
> This is also my first FF ever, so I'm a little bit scared...

It was late night, that late it was almost early morning. Zero and Jude were in bed, laying peacefully together. Jude was sleeping so quietly, resting his head over Zero’s stomach, while the blond guy was sitting on their bed with his back leaning against the headrest. He couldn’t sleep, but not because he was worried or anxious. He was just so much happy that his excitement didn’t allow him to fall asleep.  
It hadn’t been a wild or extraordinary night. On the contrary, it has been a really quite nice one, the kind of quite night that could be considered boring by all the people that had never really been in love. They spent the evening trying to cook pizzas, they had their home-made dinner together and then they sat on the couch, watching some sport on TV… Well, honestly, they actually sat on the couch with the TV on, but they were most focused on each other, talking about what they had done that day, laughing about how messy the kitchen was after their pizza-experiment, holding their hands, giving each other Eskimo kisses, caressing their legs, arms, chests, faces, kissing each other. A lot of people may find this kind of entertainment quite boring; probably the old Zero would have hated spending a night like that: with anyone else, he could have considered it a waste of time in his scheming-day-life-routine, but now… Now he couldn’t imagine a better way to spend the evening… Now, awake in their bed, with his Jude sleeping so serenely on his body, he couldn’t stop thinking about how grateful he was for having the opportunity to share his life with the most amazing person that there was in the world.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the reason why they were both naked in their bed, too. After the match they had been watching on TV ended – or, better to say, when they had noticed it was over – they kept sharing their affection and their love to their halves, while the kisses were becoming deeper, while their hands were becoming bolder, while their breaths were becoming heavier. Jude had taken his lover’s hand and led him into their bedroom, to share their love in a more intense way.

That night they had made passionately love, but it had been less wild, less instinctive, less fleshy than usual… Always hot, of course: they are so in love with each other bodies that it couldn’t be differently; but, in that particular moment, they had needed their souls to make love….They hadn’t been focused on their physical pleasure, they had been focused on the mental pleasure… No temptations, no games, no sexual puns, no loud sounds, no… It had been so quite, they had spent most of the night so close to each other, chest to chest, hands interweaved, looking in their eyes, kissing like their lives depended on breathing the same air, touching their lips and their tongues together. Even when they had finished, they had stayed in that position for a long time, still kissing each other like it was the only thing that mattered. They had changed their position only to rest, when Zero sat on bed and Jude relaxed on his lover’s body and suddenly fell asleep.

Zero couldn’t do anything but staring at the amazing guy he was sharing his life with. He was so handsome, he couldn’t believe that something, someone so beautiful – inside and outside – was actually real. Most of his body was covered by the sheet, but he could see his face, his hair, his neck, his shoulders, his arms, his hands, and part of his back. Zero loves his face: he adores his grey-blue eyes and their gaze, because they are so expressive and they are exactly the reflections of his pure soul; he adores his lips, the way they perfectly fit in with his, how soft they are when they cross his body, the way he bits them, how they move when he smiles or talks; he adores his cheeks, they way they get rosy red every time he blushes for something Zero says – and it happens quite often; he adores his jaw, his ears… Zero loves his hair, especially when it is uncombed and it fells on his forehead; he always enjoys slipping his fingers between them… Zero loves his neck and he finds it so inviting; it’s such a sensitive spot for his lover and he knows that so well… Zero loves his shoulders, his back and his arms because they are so strong, especially when he grabs him; Jude is a strong man, he is so masculine and well-built and it really attracts Zero; besides, those arms are the ones that hold him so tight when he needs to feel safe… Zero loves his big hands; he adores the way those hands and fingers touch his body, so strongly, driving him crazy, but also the way they can show him what true love is… Oh, every part of his body has something that drives him crazy and he couldn’t do anything but staring at him… And he couldn’t fall asleep… Instead, he kept caressing him, his hair, his face, his shoulders, his back, enjoying the view of Jude’s body reacting to his attentions.

He wanted him to feel protected and loved also during his sleeps, trying to roll away all his nightmares and his bad thoughts, especially one: not being worthy to be loved… Zero hated Oscar for how he let his son alone when he was a child and hated the fact that he kept suffering because of that. He wanted to show him how much worthy he was just for being the amazing person he is. That night Zero hadn’t wanted to be inside his body, he had wanted to be inside is soul, his heart, his mind, touching him so deeply that Jude couldn’t help but remind himself that there was no more loneliness in his life, but only pure and sincere love.

Anyway, Zero knew another thing pretty well: Jude letting him love him was restoring for his soul too; by this way, Zero felt protected too… Yes, the big bad baller, the champion, the rich man, the powerful man, the manly man, the playboy, he needs someone to protect him… And he was holding in his arms the one who gave him his life again. Having no more bounders in that precious act really emphasized the warm embrace of their bodies that were becoming only one. 

“I love you, Jude” he whispered while caressing his face and brushing his hair. 

Suddenly, he looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost 4 A.M. and something crossed Zero’s mind; his heart skipped a beat. Zero had an idea: he wanted to show his lover one thing… Gently, he started to call his name, still sliding his fingers on his face, this time a little bit heavier. He was still sleeping, but slowly he started to move a little. He was waking up, while Zero kept calling him.

“Hey” Jude told him, with a sleepy voice, “I’m so tired, is it morning already? What time is it?”. 

Zero answered him “Hey, no, it’s still pretty early, but I just want to show you something...”. 

“Now?!” was the answer he received by his boyfriend, who was looking him in his eyes. When he noticed a melancholic gaze in Zero, he immediately sat up next to him and took his hand in his. He knew by his gaze that he was about to show him something so intimate that needed all his attention. “Is that thing here?” Jude asked gently, a little bit scared that he could say something that might bother his boyfriend, now that he was undressing him soul. 

“No, actually we should walk a little, I know you are tired and that it’s late… So… Well… It doesn’t matter, it wasn’t that important anyway…” Zero awkwardly said, trying to hide his insecurity.

Jude pulled him so close; he whispered in his ear “It matters, Gideon!” and Zero melted in his arms, because every time he hears his real named called by Jude’s voice, it’s like he is screaming all his pure and true love to him – like a wakeup call that reminds him that Jude loves him for who he is, nothing less, nothing more. They both smiled, looking into their eyes and, after a quit kiss, Jude told him “Let’s go!”.

They took their clothes from the floor, laughing because they knew very well why they were there and Jude smirked to Zero, just to make him feel less tense. They wore their sweatpants and their T-shirts and they started their walk, side by side. Zero was really silent and Jude didn’t want to bother him with empty words just to fill the silence. After 10 minutes, Jude shyly took his lover’s hand in his and he noticed that Zero was relieved by this simple gesture and he saw a little smile on his face. It wasn’t something that they did a lot. They usually didn’t walk hand in hand in public, not because they were afraid of what other people might think, but just because it was more suitable for their personalities. Besides, they didn’t want their love to be something that could be put on some gossip magazine, they were quite discrete (well, except for that kiss on the court) and when they were showing affection in public, it was always nice and discrete. Moreover, they knew well that it wasn’t about how many steps they have walked hand in hand, but how much love they put in the delicate touch. 

After a while, Jude bravely asked “Where are we going?” and Zero told him “Somewhere I used to go when I was a kid and lived here”. After that, silence, again. Jude was so curious, he wanted to know more about that, but he didn’t ask anything because he knew that his lover needed time. He was just pretty amazed by the fact that he felt that Zero was squeezing his hand so strongly and tight that he really didn’t need any more explanations. They kept walking. It was a quite long walk, they were basically in a wood at this point… And it was late night. Jude couldn’t do anything but thinking that Zero used to go there a lot when he was a child. A child alone in a wood during the night!? It sounded terrible, he was so shocked, but he didn’t let his emotions to be shown. Instead, he kept walking next to Zero, proudly. After about 30/40 minutes, they got into a beautiful place, where they could see the hills: it was an amazing landscape, breathtaking. Jude was so enthusiast about the view, he had never been there and he couldn’t imagine that place actually existed. Zero took his hands and invited him to sit down on the grass, next to him. They were both holding their knees with their arms, still staring at the amazing view, silently.

At some point, Zero started to talk: “Well, I used to come here when I was a kid… I firstly discovered that place the night Laura and me got separated… I was so sad and upset that I started to walk, without knowing where I was going… I was tired and sore, but my legs just kept going and, at the end, I arrived here, more or less at this time… I was so scared, but at the same time I didn’t care… I was scared by the idea that a bear or a wolf may come here and eat me, but I was so sad thinking about my life in that house without my sister, about her in a new household without me to protect her that I even thought that being eaten by a bear might not be the worst thing, actually”.

Jude was so touched by his words, he knew his past had been traumatic, but he could hardly imagine a child who was more scared by his foster parents than by the possibility to be eaten alive by an animal, in a wood, alone, in the night. He asked him, with a delicate tone “You said you used to come here, so it means that it wasn’t the only time, was it? Why did you come here other times? Always at night?” and he answered “I’m here to show you…”; then he put both his arms around Jude’s body, to embrace him, he rested his head on his shoulder, breathing on his neck, smelling his scent and just waited. It was late and in that particular place the temperature at this hour of the night wasn’t exactly warm, especially with a cold typical breeze. Luckily, the heat of their bodies was enough for them. Actually, they didn’t care that much about the weather. Jude was still waiting, without really understanding what was going on, but he was so pleased by having his lover’s arms around him that he could have waited until the end of time. With one hand, he lifted Zero’s head, so that he could actually look him in his eyes. They both cup their lover’s cheeks with their hands, their faces were so close, but they didn’t kiss… They smiled, they breathed, they touched their noses, they smelled their scents and they did all of these things such as it was love at first sight and it was the first time they met. Only after a couple of minutes Zero approached Jude to give him a kiss, but he was almost trembling. Probably it was the place, the situation, no one really knew, but he actually felt like a kid again. Jude noticed that and he felt the rush of emotions that was running in Zero’s heart, so he took the first step and gave him an innocent, chaste kiss that made them both smiling and blushing. Then they kissed again, a little deeper. Zero was still cupping his face, while Jude slowly put his hands on his boyfriend’s hips, caressing all the skin he had gone through. 

After a while – they really had no idea about the time – Zero stopped his boyfriend and, with a big smile on his face, he told him “It’s here, look!”.  
Jude turned his head and he saw a beautiful sunrise behind the hills: with its rays and its light, the Sun was turning this amazing landscape into something even more stunning. Jude was speechless… He had always been so busy on studies, works, getting his father’s approval, that he had never really enjoyed the spectacle of nature. The only thing he could say was a simple “Wow!”.

Then Zero said “That night I could find relief in anything, I was too sad and upset to actually believe that there was something good in life… I thought about my mother, how I felt when she left me – when she left us – and I couldn’t believe that at that point I had done the same thing with Laura, I left her when she needed me the most”.  
Jude held his hand and told him “You didn’t!” and then he noticed a tear on his cheek. Then he went on, “You were a child too, Gideon… Only a few years older than her, there was nothing you could have done for her... You weren’t supposed to take care of her, it was your parents’ duty or your foster parents’ one, not yours! I’m sure you did more than any other child would have been able to do in that situation, I’m sure you gave her the best memories of all her childhood! The P.I. told us she was doing great and I’m sure it’s all because of everything you did for her, don’t ever think anything different!”. 

Zero went on “At one point I was so angry that I was crying, but then the Sun came up, the wood woke up and I felt something in my heart… I knew that a part of me was dead when Laura quitted the house, but something new was born in that precise moment… Gideon was dead and Zero was born… I was little, but I knew that something had to change… I would have never suffered again! I decided to stay home as less as I could, I was always out with older kids and I quickly learnt how much power, money and fame could give you, so I decided to focus on the only thing I was good at: basketball. Then I started with all the rest: fake friends, fake relationships, so that no one could ever hurt me… I never let anything hurt me, I was always wearing a mask but when I felt really scared or lonely, I came here to remind myself why I was working so hard on that: no more sufferance… Damn, I was so wrong…”. 

Jude asked him “Are you still coming here?” and Zero answered “No, the last time I was here, I was in high-school. It was the night before a match, in which I knew it would have been present a talent scout for young athletes. When he saw me, my life changed and I felt like I was on my way, then I change city, and this is it…”.

“But you are back in L.A. since a while now… Never came back there?” replied Jude. Zero smirked and said “Well, here, now, with you, stupid!”.

Jude knew he needed to make it easier and simpler, that it was getting too heavy, so he smiled back and kissed him, then asked me, with an ironic intention, “Even when we had broken up?!”. 

Zero laughed and told me “We didn’t, we weren’t together!”. Jude pretended to be pissed off and wanted to tease his ego, but Zero interrupted him “I didn’t come here for a reason… Yes, in that place I was able to find some strength again, but if I would have came here, I had had to face something I wasn’t ready to admit to myself: Gideon wasn’t dead and there was someone who loved him for who he was… Would I have been able to let someone go under my skin, knowing that one day I would have done something wrong and be left alone again? No… So I pushed you back...”. Jude was staring at him, Zero continued “Now I know I was acting stupid because I was Gideon and I was in love and pushing you back was so painful that I couldn’t breathe… I had told you my name, than I love you, and both of the time even if I meant it, I was so angry because I couldn’t let anyone in! I pushed you away, but then, when I found out… You know… Lucas… Well, my mind went crazy and I didn’t care anymore about my goals, my ideas, my schemes… I wanted to be Gideon, I wanted to be loved, I wanted you!”.

Jude smiled “I love you and I want you, Gideon… It won’t change… And nobody will separate us, ever! No matter what, I’ll be always there for you”. 

After that, they kissed for a while, so slowly like they wanted to taste each other all over again, caressing their backs, their arms and their heads. Then Zero said “Ok, now that we are here, I feel a little bit stupid… It was no big story after all, just some childish thoughts…”, but Jude interrupted him, gently “Don’t say that! You are sharing with me something so intimate of your childhood, you are letting me know who you are, I couldn’t think about something more important than that”. 

Zero got his flirty behave back and told him “Well, there is something more important than that, you know”, while pulling him tighter to himself, but Jude stopped him “Really!? I have no idea what you’re thinking about! But first… I don’t know if you have noticed that, but it’s basically morning now, we had a pretty busy night without sleeping… I don’t think it would be a great idea to tire us even more and then still have to walk a lot down these hills! I think we should go home first!”. 

Zero almost forgot that he hadn’t slept that night and that Jude only had a couple of hours to rest, so he agreed.

Before they started their walk, Jude told him “Hey, I think you were wrong when you said that Gideon was dead… Gideon is still here, but only for the people who deserve him… And if I have to be honest, I’m so happy that I’m the only one who knows him, it makes me feel so special… You know, people know my real name, but I can’t deny that I’m not showing my real self to anyone… I made a big mistake in the past: showing myself to people who really didn’t care at all… I taught you that sometimes it’s worthy to show who you are to someone and you taught me that not anyone who pretends they care about you, actually does… You see!? You need me as much as I need you”. A small kiss and then, they were ready to come back home.

Zero was so happy and relief. It’s so hard for him to open up about his past because it makes him feel like he’s still this little kid and he doesn’t like to be vulnerable… But with Jude everything is different… He can make him feel a real strong man even when he feels so little and weak. Their walk seemed so much shorter this time, probably because they were both more relaxed. At this point, they really seemed two teenagers in their first relationship, laughing about everything, blushing every time they made eye contact, shyly touching their hands while walking. Zero tried to act like cocky Zero, but he couldn’t help the feelings that this experience had woken up in his heart. Once they were back home, Jude went into the kitchen to drink some water and he asked Zero if he was thirsty too. He opened the fridge, he took the bottle of water, then he put it on the table, next to two glasses. He was about to pour the water in them, while he heard his lover voice and he turned around.

“Thank you, Jude”, Zero said.

“You’re welcome, it was my pleasure… Actually, I thank you for that”, Jude answered, “Come here, closer”.

Zero walked toward Jude, who sat on the table and grabbed his boyfriend T-shirt to pull him closer, between his legs. Jude cupped his boyfriend’s face with his hand and started to kiss him, while Zero leaned his hands on the table, trying not to lose the balance. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the moment, maybe it was their love, but none of them seemed tired anymore, even if they hadn’t slept much (or at all) the previous night and after all the long walks. They shared a long passionate kiss, their lips were red and swollen, their tongues were moving like it was a – sweet – battle. Jude crossed his legs around Zero and his boyfriend started to touch all his body, moving his hands from the hips to the shoulders, then to his arms and at the end he intertwined his fingers with Jude’s ones.

He stopped the kiss for a while to tell Jude “I know it has been a long night, but, honestly, I’m not really tired… Actually, I’m really awake and I’m pretty sure there is something even more awake than me… And I can say the same for you too, can’t you? Now we can do that important thing I was talking about before, so you can actually find out who was right, which one was more important”, then he smirked and looked at Jude with his lusting gaze.

Jude couldn’t say nothing but “Well, I guess you are right! Actually, I’m not tired too… And, even if, we have the rest of the day to sleep and we have a bed here, haven’t we?”.  
Zero smiled, then he put his hands on his boyfriend ass cheeks and he lifted him… The perk of being in a relationship with a well-built, strong athlete! Jude kept his legs crossed around Zero’s hips and the put his arms behind his boyfriend’s neck. They started to kiss again, while Zero was walking towards their bedroom. Once there, he gently rested his lover on their messy bed and started to undress him. He took off his T-shirt and he was so amazed by his chest and his stomach that he seemed like it was the first time he saw him. He caressed his skin from the neck to his lower abdomen, than he took off his sweatpants too. Another time, he looked like he was falling in love with him again for the first time. At this time, Jude wanted to take control, so he sat on the bed, with his lover over himself. He smelled his lover’s scent through his T-shirt, than he took off it and started to kiss and lick his abdomen. Zero loved this feeling, he closed his eyes and let his head going back, focusing only on the pleasure he was experiencing. Jude put his hands on his boyfriend’s hips and he stood up, making him man do the same. While they were standing, they kissed again, than Jude took off Zero’s sweatpants and touched his intimate part.

“You were so right, there is something more awaken than you here!” Jude said, laughing a little “Let me take care of it!”.

Jude started to trace kisses all over his body… Lips, neck, chest, abs… Oh, he really loves Zero’s body! Another perk of being in a relationship with an athlete! But Zero’s body had something more than just big, defined muscles… His skin was so thick and smooth at the same time, his smell was so intense and delicate… Jude can’t imagine spending another day in his life without experience that. While he was kissing his abs, he took off his underwear too and, for a while, he focused all his attention on that part of his body. He admired it, then he started to touch it slowly, following his lover’s reaction. Then he went faster, until he started to kiss and lick it, thing that allowed him to use one hand to focus on the rest of the body. Zero was enjoying so much that experience, but at some point he needed Jude’s lips on his, so he pulled him up and they shared an even more passionate kiss. They looked in each other’s eyes and Jude noticed something in Zero’s gaze, something more than lust and pleasure… He was frightened, like he was lost… Jude knew what it meant… He always has this look in his eyes when he opens about his past, when he remembers all the pain he’s gone through, when he feels powerless again… Only Jude can make him feel better again. 

Jude held his hands and told him “I’m taking care of you, Gideon… Nothing can hurt you because I’m here with you and anything can be fixed while we are together, ok? Trust me, I love you and I always will! You are not alone, you are worthy! I’ll always take care of you… Alright?”. Zero nodded and Jude went on “You know I love you, right? I’m here for you... Just tell me now what do you want to do, if you’re upset we can just lay down there and stay silent all day long, ok? You don’t owe me anything, you don’t have to prove anything, alright? I want to be with you, no matter how, ok?”.

Zero didn’t say a word, instead he took off Jude’s underwear and kissed him again. He laid on their bed and pulled Jude over him.

They kept kissing, then he said “Jude… I… I really need you… I just… I really need you… I don’t know how to deal with all my crap without you…I know I’m a mess, but please, don’t leave me... Protect me, please… And… I just… I want to feel you now, ok? Just inside me… Not because I’m upset, but because making love to you , being in your arms it’s the only place I can call home…”.

Jude’s heart skipped a beat, it was about to explode both for the happiness of the love’s declaration, both for the anger he felt for everything Zero went through without anyone. He smiled at his lover and slowly started to prepare him for the next step. While he was moving his oiled fingers inside him, he never stopped looking in his eyes, trying to show him that it was all about love, nothing more. Jude isn’t here for money, power, fame, cars, covers or success… Actually, he isn’t here even for sex or his body… Well, he loves his body and he really enjoys sex with him, but it’s not the reason why they are together. He loves his body because it’s Zero’s body… He loves sex with Zero because it’s a demonstration of love. When he knew Zero was ready, he started to make love to him and he suddenly saw all Zero’s worries faded away. It was passionate and sweet again. They were making love when Jude saw a tear on Zero’s cheek. Jude panicked. He immediately stopped, but Zero tried not to let him going outside his body.  
“Oh my God, you should have told me that I was hurting you, just… Hey, let me go outside, I don’t want to hurt you… Gideon!” Jude said, almost shocked, feeling extremely guilty.  
“Jude, hey, you are not hurting me, ok? I’m not feeling pain. Instead, I’m feeling so well right now… I’m just… Really happy you’re mine… Really happy for having you here… I’ve never had a family, you know that… Just… I’m not good at handling this kind of things… Ok? Please, just, don’t stop… Just don’t being outside my body, ok? I want to feel you…” Zero answered.

Jude felt so well knowing he hadn’t hurt the love of his life and he kept making love with him.

When they both finished, they laid on their side, really close, facing each other, holding and kissing their hands. 

“You don’t know the man you are… I’ve never met anyone like you… You are the strongest person I’ve ever known… You make my life so much better… I’ve never imagined I would have met someone like you… I don’t care about anything in my life, but you… I love you, Gideon!” Jude said.

“And I’ve never thought someone would have ever accepted Gideon... Instead, you love him… I mean, you love me… And I love you, too… More than you can imagine… More than I could ever have imagined…” Zero responded.

And they suddenly fell asleep, late in the morning, holding their hands, like a promise: they would have held their hands forever, no matter what…


End file.
